Documentary about Melania Trump premieres with higher-than-expected revenue in the US

Watch the trailer for ‘Melania’ The documentary about the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump, debuted with a higher-than-expected collection in the USA, of US$7 million in tickets, according to estimates released this Sunday (1st). The release of “Melania” was unlike any other. Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million for the rights, plus about $35 million in marketing, making it the most expensive documentary ever made. Directed by Brett Ratner, who had been away from Hollywood since 2017, the film about the first lady opened in 1,778 cinemas across the country, amid President Donald Trump’s turbulent second term – who, in turn, described the production as “unmissable”. See how the documentary premiered in São Paulo Although the result could be considered a failure for most films with such high costs, “Melania” was a success within the standards of the documentary genre. It is the best debut of a documentary – apart from concert films – in 14 years. Before its debut, revenue projections varied between US$3 million and US$5 million. 🎥 The film follows the first lady over 20 days, in January last year, until Trump’s second term inauguration. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at the premiere of the documentary Jose Luis Magana/AP Revenue expectations On Thursday (29), Trump received guests for the premiere of the film at the Kennedy Center, with the presence of ministers and parliamentarians. At the event, Ratner minimized the box office potential: “You can’t expect a documentary to do well in theaters.” The film that topped the collection podium over the weekend was “Help!”, a survival thriller directed by Sam Raimi and starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. The Walt Disney Co. release grossed $20 million. Still, the biggest curiosity was around “Melania’s” performance. A week earlier, the White House had hosted a gala preview, attended by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, ​​Apple CEO Tim Cook and former boxer Mike Tyson. The film hit theaters in a week dominated by coverage of federal immigration raids in Minnesota after a US Border Patrol agent shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. “Melania” was not previously shown to critics, but the reviews published on Friday (30), after the premiere, were negative. Xan Brooks, from the British newspaper “The Guardian”, compared the film to a “medieval tribute to appease a greedy king on his throne”. Owen Gleiberman of “Variety” called the production a “tacky infomercial of stunning inertia.” Frank Scheck, from “The Hollywood Reporter”, wrote: “To say that ‘Melania’ is a hagiography would be an insult to hagiographies.” Among the public who bought tickets over the weekend, however, the reaction was much more positive. “Melania” received an “A” grade on CinemaScore. The majority of viewers were 55 or older (72%), female (72%), and white (75%). As expected, the film performed best in the southern United States, with emphasis on states such as Florida and Texas. “Melania” is Ratner’s first film since he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. Several women, including actress Olivia Munn, have accused the director of sexual harassment and abuse. Ratner denies the allegations. “Melania”, which will be available on the Prime Video streaming platform after its theatrical release, was also released in Brazil and other countries. Melania Trump speaks during the premiere of her documentary in Washington Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Top 10 films of the weekend in the US With the final numbers being released on Monday, the list considers ticket sales estimates between Friday and Sunday in cinemas in the US and Canada, according to Comscore: “Socorro!”, US$ 20 million “Iron Lung”, US$ 17.9 million “Melania”, US$ 7 million “Zootopia 2”, US$ 5.8 million “Mission – Haven”, US$ 5.5 million “Avatar: Fire and Ash”, US$ 5.5 million “Artificial Justice”, US$ 4.7 million “The Maid”, US$ 3.5 million “Marty Supreme”, US$ 2.9 million “28 Years Later: The Temple of Bones”, US$ 1.5 million

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